Baiting Bike Thieves

June 1, 2014

To the Editor:

Although the goal of reducing bike theft is certainly an important one, policing tactics that provide an opportunity for people to commit a crime they might not otherwise have committed should always be undertaken with caution.

In “Police Use High-Tech Lures to Reel In Bike Thieves” (San Francisco Journal, May 28), it was briefly noted that “bait bikes are of high value, to ensure that people caught taking them are charged with a felony.” But this law-enforcement decision deserves much more critical attention than simply a passing mention.

Does ensuring that the bike thief is subject to substantial prison time, could face three-strike penalties and will forever be branded a felon when seeking future employment serve our goal in a way we intend?

Deterrence through stickers and shaming may be worth the benefits of a reduction in theft, but the decision to subject all people to a felony charge and entry into our overcrowded prison system is not one to be made lightly or without debate.

KATHARINE TINTO New York, May 28, 2014

The writer is an assistant clinical professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University.